ABC board's own budget makes sense

Published: Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 5:06 p.m.

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners is right to question the need for a liquor store in an unincorporated part of the county, but also to give the county ABC board funding it can use to study the question.

The board split 2-2 on whether to pay $9,000 for a market study the ABC board had requested on the feasibility of another liquor store. But all four commissioners agreed the board should have its own funding and asked county staff to prepare a budget by next month. The vote came Wednesday with Commissioner Mike Edney, an attorney, in court and absent from the meeting.

Chairman Charlie Messer supported Vice Chairman Tommy Thompson’s motion to fund the study, while commissioners Larry Young and Grady Hawkins opposed the measure. However, Young proposed creating a yearly budget of $20,000 to $25,000 for the county ABC board, and to let the board decide how to spend the funds.

Hawkins said he is skeptical about the county getting into liquor sales, citing the five existing ABC stores and the modest proceeds a new store would generate for local schools. A May 2012 referendum to allow liquor sales countywide was not a “veiled mandate to build an ABC store out in the county,” he said.

ABC Board Chairman Beau Waddell respectfully disagreed, saying the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of allowing liquor sales at package stores in unincorporated areas. His board wants consultant Martin-McGill to study which areas have unmet demand for liquor sales to determine where the best spot for a new ABC store would be.

Actually, both Hawkins and Waddell are right. Yes, county voters overwhelmingly agreed that ABC stores should be allowed in unincorporated areas. But there is a difference between allowing a county liquor store as an option, and actually calling for one to be built, as Hawkins points out.

There are currently five ABC stores in the county: three in Hendersonville, one in Laurel Park and one in Fletcher. ABC board members and managers from the municipal stores have all stated they don’t think the county can support a sixth store.

The best way to determine the feasibility of another ABC store is through a study. Creating a budget for the county ABC board that it can use to pay for the study accomplishes the task of answering that question, even if commissioners don’t agree on the need for a study, let alone another ABC store.

Three citizens spoke out at Wednesday’s meeting to say the $9,000 requested for the ABC store study would be better spent on the county’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Steve Dalton said DARE was told that due to county budget cuts, the community had to “step up and fund the program,” which it did by raising $10,000 from schools, families and businesses.

“When we got news that it’s been proposed that $9,000 be spent to simply see if we need another liquor store, another ABC store, in our county, it put us on edge,” Dalton said.

County Manager Steve Wyatt pointed out that the Sheriff’s Office, which runs the DARE program, has a budget of approximately $12 million that was increased by $215,000 this fiscal year. The county funds the Sheriff’s Office, but doesn’t tell the sheriff how to spend the money.

“The fact of the matter is, we don’t micromanage the sheriff’s budget ... and we never will,” Messer said.

It’s understandable that supporters of DARE question spending $9,000 to study the need for another liquor store. It’s great that they made their feelings known, and the commissioners’ meeting was the appropriate venue for them to do so. But commissioners are correct to not micromanage how the Sheriff’s Office spends county funds.

Commissioners should also keep this position in mind when it comes to funding for public schools, and allow the elected School Board to decide how local funds are spent. It’s up to county leaders to come up with a balanced budget and set broad priorities, but the sheriff and the school board should tend to their own budget details.

<p>The Henderson County Board of Commissioners is right to question the need for a liquor store in an unincorporated part of the county, but also to give the county ABC board funding it can use to study the question.</p><p>The board split 2-2 on whether to pay $9,000 for a market study the ABC board had requested on the feasibility of another liquor store. But all four commissioners agreed the board should have its own funding and asked county staff to prepare a budget by next month. The vote came Wednesday with Commissioner Mike Edney, an attorney, in court and absent from the meeting.</p><p>Chairman Charlie Messer supported Vice Chairman Tommy Thompson's motion to fund the study, while commissioners Larry Young and Grady Hawkins opposed the measure. However, Young proposed creating a yearly budget of $20,000 to $25,000 for the county ABC board, and to let the board decide how to spend the funds.</p><p>Hawkins said he is skeptical about the county getting into liquor sales, citing the five existing ABC stores and the modest proceeds a new store would generate for local schools. A May 2012 referendum to allow liquor sales countywide was not a “veiled mandate to build an ABC store out in the county,” he said.</p><p>ABC Board Chairman Beau Waddell respectfully disagreed, saying the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of allowing liquor sales at package stores in unincorporated areas. His board wants consultant Martin-McGill to study which areas have unmet demand for liquor sales to determine where the best spot for a new ABC store would be.</p><p>Actually, both Hawkins and Waddell are right. Yes, county voters overwhelmingly agreed that ABC stores should be allowed in unincorporated areas. But there is a difference between allowing a county liquor store as an option, and actually calling for one to be built, as Hawkins points out.</p><p>There are currently five ABC stores in the county: three in Hendersonville, one in Laurel Park and one in Fletcher. ABC board members and managers from the municipal stores have all stated they don't think the county can support a sixth store.</p><p>The best way to determine the feasibility of another ABC store is through a study. Creating a budget for the county ABC board that it can use to pay for the study accomplishes the task of answering that question, even if commissioners don't agree on the need for a study, let alone another ABC store.</p><p>Three citizens spoke out at Wednesday's meeting to say the $9,000 requested for the ABC store study would be better spent on the county's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Steve Dalton said DARE was told that due to county budget cuts, the community had to “step up and fund the program,” which it did by raising $10,000 from schools, families and businesses.</p><p>“When we got news that it's been proposed that $9,000 be spent to simply see if we need another liquor store, another ABC store, in our county, it put us on edge,” Dalton said.</p><p>County Manager Steve Wyatt pointed out that the Sheriff's Office, which runs the DARE program, has a budget of approximately $12 million that was increased by $215,000 this fiscal year. The county funds the Sheriff's Office, but doesn't tell the sheriff how to spend the money.</p><p>“The fact of the matter is, we don't micromanage the sheriff's budget ... and we never will,” Messer said.</p><p>It's understandable that supporters of DARE question spending $9,000 to study the need for another liquor store. It's great that they made their feelings known, and the commissioners' meeting was the appropriate venue for them to do so. But commissioners are correct to not micromanage how the Sheriff's Office spends county funds.</p><p>Commissioners should also keep this position in mind when it comes to funding for public schools, and allow the elected School Board to decide how local funds are spent. It's up to county leaders to come up with a balanced budget and set broad priorities, but the sheriff and the school board should tend to their own budget details.</p>